Dress
Unknown Artist
ca. 1840
Medium
Wool
Classification
Dress
Culture
American
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 1921
Accession Number
2009.300.6248a, b
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 1840s America with this wool dress from the Costume Institute, a charming artifact of everyday fashion from an unknown maker. Crafted around 1840, it captures the practical elegance of mid-19th-century American life, when wool was a staple medium for its warmth, durability, and accessibility. Unlike luxurious silks reserved for formal occasions, wool garments like this one were ideal for cooler seasons and daily wear, reflecting the resourcefulness of American women in a rapidly industrializing nation. This dress embodies the transitional style of the early Vict...